BizTalk Server General announcements

We have some great news to share! We've updated our Microsoft Integration Product Roadmap. See our BizTalk Team Blog, at https://aka.ms/btsblog. We are starting our new BizTalk Server vNext project. Let us know what you want and need in BizTalk Server vNext.

We have some great news to share! We've updated our Microsoft Integration Product Roadmap. See our BizTalk Team Blog, at https://aka.ms/btsblog. We are starting our new BizTalk Server vNext project. Let us know what you want and need in BizTalk Server vNext.

Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that brings together the best tools for the way people work today. By combining best-in-class apps like Excel and Outlook with powerful cloud services like OneDrive and Microsoft Teams, Office 365 lets anyone create and share anywhere on any device.

Microsoft BizTalk Server Adapters for Office 365 enable IT professionals and enterprise developers to integrate Outlook mail, contacts, and schedules with new solutions based on BizTalk Server 2016.

Office 365 Mail Adapter

Using the BizTalk Adapter for Office 365 Mail, you can read, mark as read or delete, Outlook e-mail messages through one-way BizTalk Server receive locations. Using the Office 365 Mail Adapter, you can write e-mail message, including setting message priority, through one-way static or dynamic BizTalk Server send ports.

Office 365 Calendar Adapter

Using the BizTalk Adapter for Office 365 Calendar, you can get future calendar events through one-way BizTalk Server receive locations. Using the Office 365 Calendar Adapter, you can create calendar events, including specifying required and optional attendees, through one-way static or dynamic BizTalk Server send ports.

Office 365 Contact Adapter

Using the BizTalk Adapter for Office 365 Contact, you can create contacts, by specifying all settings, through one-way static or dynamic BizTalk Server send ports.

Licensing

Microsoft customers with Software Assurance or Azure Enterprise Agreements are licensed to use Feature Pack 3.

Microsoft BizTalk Server product team has released Cumulative Update 5 for BizTalk Server 2016. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledgebase Article 4132957, posted to https://support.microsoft.com/help/4132957.

Available now is Microsoft BizTalk Server 2016
Feature Pack 2. This update to BizTalk Server 2016 contains new and improved
capabilities for modernizing BizTalk Server workloads in the areas of
deployment, runtime and analytics.

Deployment and Administration

Application Lifecycle Management with VSTS

Using Visual Studio Team Services, you can define
multi-server deployments of BizTalk Server 2016, and then maintain those
systems throughout the application lifecycle.

Publish Orchestration endpoints using Azure API Management,
enabling organizations to publish APIs to external, partner and internal
developers to unlock the potential of their data and services.

Event Hubs

Using the new Event Hub Adapter, BizTalk Server can send and
receive messages with Azure Event Hubs, where BizTalk Server can function
as both an event publisher and subscriber, as part of a new Azure
cloud-based event-driven application.

This
article is intended to be a knowledge base of all Errors and Warnings, Causes
and Solutions documented, by community members, in all stages/components of BizTalk:
different stages of development, deployment, adapters, runtime, setup and
configuration… Read more here

Through the internet you can find numerous tools that can help you for instance in automating deployment, analyze your BizTalk environment or identify performance issues. You will find these tools on Operating System, Codeplex or Microsoft Download Center. Read more here.

BizTalk Server Adapters and Adapter Pack announcements

Available now is Microsoft BizTalk Server 2016
Feature Pack 2. This update to BizTalk Server 2016 contains new and improved
capabilities for modernizing BizTalk Server workloads in the areas of
deployment, runtime and analytics.

Deployment and Administration

Application Lifecycle Management with VSTS

Using Visual Studio Team Services, you can define
multi-server deployments of BizTalk Server 2016, and then maintain those
systems throughout the application lifecycle.

Publish Orchestration endpoints using Azure API Management,
enabling organizations to publish APIs to external, partner and internal
developers to unlock the potential of their data and services.

Event Hubs

Using the new Event Hub Adapter, BizTalk Server can send and
receive messages with Azure Event Hubs, where BizTalk Server can function
as both an event publisher and subscriber, as part of a new Azure
cloud-based event-driven application.

BizTalk Server Host Integration Server announcements

We are happy to announce the release of Microsoft Host Integration Server 2013 Cumulative Update 4.

This cumulative update package contains hotfixes for issues that were resolved after the release of Host Integration Server 2013.

We recommend that you test the cumulative update before you deploy it in a production environment. Because the builds are cumulative, each new update release contains all the hotfixes and all the security updates that were included in the previous Host Integration Server 2013 cumulative updates. We recommend that you consider applying the most recent Host Integration Server 2013 Cumulative Update to remain current with the product.

The SDK has been updated with current samples for all features of the product – Network Integration, Data Integration, Application Integration, and MQ Integration. Included with this SDK is a host simulator that allows several of the Application Integration samples to run via TCP/IP and HTTP without the need for a backend host system.

This SDK can be installed without having HIS 2016 installed in order to view the sample code, however, HIS 2016 must be installed for the samples to run.

Microsoft HIS Team is looking for product feedback. Please take time to complete the Microsoft Host Integration Server Product Feedback survey, posted to https://aka.ms/hisfeedback. Tell us what you are using, how you like it, and what new technologies and tools you want.

Expanded platform support for latest Microsoft operating systems and development tools, plus support for most popular IBM systems versions, permitting the broadest application support lifecycle for upgraded and new solutions.

Improved installation and configuration assisting IT administrators to efficiently deploy new clients and servers, reducing operating expenses and total cost of ownership.

New telemetry for improving technologies and tools, by monitoring and reporting connections, operations, and exceptions.

We are pleased to announce our public Community Technology Preview 2 (CTP2) for Host Integration Server 2016.

HIS 2016 offers technologies and tools enabling enterprise IT organizations to efficiently and securely integrate existing IBM host systems, programs, messages and data with new Azure and Windows applications. This release allows you to preview the many new and improved technologies and tools, when compared to HIS 2013, including:

Improved installation and configuration assisting IT administrators to efficiently deploy new clients and servers, reducing operating expenses and total cost of ownership.

Expanded platform support for latest Microsoft operating systems and development tools, plus support for most popular IBM systems versions, permitting the broadest application support lifecycle for upgraded and new solutions.

Microsoft HIS team has released Host Integration Server 2016
Community Technology Preview 1.

HIS 2016 CTP1 provides professionals and enterprise
developers with technologies and tools to deliver a new set of integration
solutions. Here are a few of the new capabilities and improvements in HIS 2016
CTP1.

The HIS 2013 BPA (Best Practice Analyzer) and SCOM Management Pack will be available in September.

The HIS 2013 Enterprise edition will be available for purchase on 1st September, licensed as supplemental technology to BizTalk Server 2013. See the BizTalk website for more information on BTS 2013 licensing.

The Host Integration Server Product Team has just released the sixth Cumulative Update (CU) for HIS 2010. The cumulative update model is used to package and release product fixes on a more consistent schedule.

HIS 2010 CU6 includes fixes for HIS 2010 that were fixed after the release of HIS 2010, including all the fixes that are in the previous HIS 2010 cumulative updates. Details on the included fixes can be found in the following Knowledge Base article:

The Host Integration Server Product Team has just released the fourth Cumulative Update (CU) for HIS 2009. The cumulative update model is used to package and release product fixes on a more consistent schedule.

HIS 2009 CU4 includes fixes for HIS 2009 that were fixed after the release of HIS 2009, including all the fixes that are in the previous HIS 2009 cumulative updates. Details on the included fixes can be found in the following Knowledge Base article:

You can download HIS 2009 CU4 via the Hotfix Download Available link in the KB article. You would need to download the CU4 package that matches the HIS 2009 version (x86 or x64) that you have installed.

The Host Integration Server (HIS) forum provide you an opportunity to join a community of Host Integration Server customers where you can share knowledge, get questions answered, and learn from others with IT environments similar to yours. Start by posting Host Integration Server related questions in the forum corresponding to your topic of interest and leverage the knowledge available in your new forum community.

If you have any suggestions or feedbacks to Windows Server products, please feel free to post in our forums.

Stephen Jackson - MSFT

App-V Sequencing Recipes announcements

As you are viewing and using the recipes provided by your community experts please make sure to mark the "VOTE AS HELPFUL" link on the upper left corner of the recipe. This will help us gauge that the recipe is useful beyond just viewing it.

Most applications can be sequenced using App-V Sequencer without requiring any special steps. However, there are some third-party and Microsoft applications that require special steps in order to be properly sequenced and work with App-V.

In the past, members of the product team would regularly post instructions for sequencing particularly for the difficult applications. Recently we have been receiving requests from our customers to have one common community forum for sharing information.

We’re listening and we are glad that you are talking!Based on the enormous feedback, we are extremely pleased to announce the launch of a new community driven Recipe Forum on Microsoft TechNet. This forum is intended for App-V IT Pros within the App-V community to share their best practice recipes in an effort to grow everyone’s knowledge, expertise and save each other time by learning together.This allows our new members to ramp faster and our experts to shine and show their depth of knowledge!

You can now view prescriptive sequencing recipes for more than X applications that have been provided by a few experienced packagers from the App-V community. The Community is only successful if all members are contributing. We have responded to your request, now we need you to respond to ours! PLEASE CONTRIBUTE YOUR RECIPES TO THE COMMUNITY! We hope that even more App-V users will contribute and use the content on the forum to sequence more applications!

Content posted on this site is provided as-is. You bear the risk of using it. Microsoft gives no express or implied warranties or guarantees. Content contributed by the community has not been tested by Microsoft unless otherwise noted.

Azure SQL Database announcements

While it has been 3+ years since we last announced an update to SQL Data Sync service, we have been continuously deploying updates to the backend service to address top customer issues. We are listening to your feedback, and today we are happy to announce the latest update which includes both service changes and a new SQL Data Sync agent install. This update includes two main enhancements:

Support for synchronizing tables that have column collations:

If the selected sync schema tables do not already exist in your hub or member databases, upon deploying the sync group, SQL Data Sync will automatically create corresponding tables and columns in the empty database with the same collation settings as the select sync schema.

If the tables to-be-synced are already created in both hub and member databases, SQL Data Sync requires the primary key columns have the same collation between hub/member databases to successfully deploy the sync group. There is no collation restriction on the non-primary key columns.

Improvements to performance and resilience:

We enhanced batch transfer of serialized changes from source to destination, so you should see faster sync throughput.

We improved transient error handling logic when reading from the source or writing to the destination.

The new version of SQL Data Sync agent in the download center. Please follow the step-by-step instructions here to install a new Data Sync agent. If you have an existing agent, you can refer to this MSDN article for detailed upgrade procedures. A previous version of Data Sync agent will continue to work until it expires on 8/18/2015.

Microsoft Azure provides you two options when hosting your SQL Server-based data: Azure SQL Database and SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machine. This new article explains how each option fits into the big picture in Microsoft’s Data Platform, and then discusses the common business motivations that might affect your choice. Please take a look at it!

The POSReady forum provides you an opportunity to join a community of POSReady IT Pros where you can share knowledge, get questions answered, and learn from others with IT environments similar to yours. Start by posting POSReady related questions in the forum and leverage the knowledge available in your new forum community.

If you have any suggestions or feedback on the POSReady product, please feel free to post a comment in the forum.

You may also post questions and comments about older versions of POSReady, more commonly known as Windows Embedded for Point of Service 1.x.

MDOP Asset Inventory Service - Announcements announcements

Every Asset Inventory Service (AIS) agent installation package contains a certificate that identifies the account of the AIS subscriber. This certificate is used to ensure that inventory reported by an agent is associated with the correct account when it is received at the AIS web service.

This certificate has a lifetime of 3 years. After this time, the installation package cannot be used to successfully enroll new agents, although existing agents will continue to function just fine. A notification will be displayed in the console for those accounts that are approaching the 3 year threshold (approximately 60 days before the certificate expires). The systems administrator of the AIS account should then download their new agent installation package which is available from the normal download page in the AIS console.

The AIS service supports multiple agent installation packages per account. This means that the original package and the new package can both be used to install new agents. This allows a transition period where an organization can change their procedures to use the new installation package. Eventually, however, the certificate in the original installation package will expire, after which time only the new package should be used.

Frequently Asked Questions

=======================

What do I do if I see the following announcement on my home page:

“Your original AIS agent installation package expires on <expiry date>. Please download your new agent installation package and use it for all future installations. [Computers that had the original agent installation package installed before <expiry date> do not have to be updated.]”

This means that your original agent installation package is going to expire soon, and you need to download a new one and use that for agent installations. The message will typically be shown 60 days before the package expires. You can continue using the original installation package until the date in the announcement but it is recommended that you start using the new one as soon as possible.

When I go to the client deployment area, there’s no option to download a new installation package

If you see the expiry announcement on the home page, the service will have generated a new installation package for your account. You download it the same way you downloaded the original package by visiting the Client Deployment area of the Management and Support workspace and click on the link that says “Download Client Here”. You can verify that you have downloaded the latest package by viewing the properties of downloaded file as follows:

·Select the file and display the property page

·Select the Digital Signatures Tab and view Signature List

·Locate “Microsoft Corporation” in the list and double-click it

·The Signing Time on the displayed property page should be Nov 2010.

What happens if I carry on using the original installation package?

If the announcement is shown on the home page and you continue to use the original installation package after the date shown in the message, you will not be able to successfully enroll agents into the AIS service. The installation will be successful, but when the agent attempts to enroll in the service, it will be rejected. The only way to correct this situation is to download the new installation package from the service and install that on the affected machines. [see below: How do I correct a failed installation?]

What do I do if I see the following announcement on my home page?

“Your original AIS agent installation package expired on <expiry date>. Please download your new agent installation package and use it for all future installations. [Computers that had the original agent installation package installed before <expiry date> do not have to be updated.]”

This means that your original agent installation package has expired. If you obtained a new installation package and phased out using the old package before the date of expiry, then you have no further actions. If, however, you have been attempting to deploy agents using your original agent installation package then you need to take the following action:

-Stop using the original installation package

-Download a new agent installation package from the AIS console by visiting the Client Deployment area of the Management and Support workspace and click on the link that says “Download Client Here”

-Start using the new installation package for all future installations

-Identify the machines where an attempt was made to install the AIS agent with the expired installation package.

oThese will be machines where the agent was recently installed, but are not displayed in the console.

oFor these machines, re-run the install with the new package [see below: How do I correct a failed installation?]

How do I correct a failed installation?

If you identify a machine where an attempt was made to install an AIS agent, but the enrollment failed because the agent installation package had expired, proceed as follows:

oRun the installation using the following MSI flags: REINSTALLMODE=vomus

§For example: msiexec /I<path to new .msi file> REINSTALLMODE=vomus

Note: if you simply run the new agent install on the failed machine (without following either of these options) it will not successfully update the agent configuration and enroll with the service.

How do I know when my agent installation package will expire?

The following steps describe how to determine when an agent installation package was signed. If the current date is less than 3 years from this date, the package can still be used to install and enroll an agent :

·Locate the agent installation package

·Select the installation package file and display the property page

·Select the Digital Signatures Tab and view Signature List

·Locate “Microsoft Corporation” in the list and double-click it

·If the Signing Time on the displayed property page is less than 3 years ago, then the package can still be used to install and enroll an agent.

Why does the certificate in the agent installation package expire after 3 years?

Certificates have an expiry date to reduce the time period available to an attacker. Three years was adopted as a reasonable balance between renewing the agent installation packages and providing acceptable security for user accounts.

Forums Redesign - Q&A / Discussions announcements

Thank you everyone who has provided feedback into this forum so far. We appreciate the feedback and are actively prioritizing it accordingly. We are monitoring the suggestions and bugs and are currently working to make improvements based on feedback that has already been provided.

In order to help us make further improvements to this new design, please take the following action:

If you have a suggestion for the redesigned Forums please post these to Suggestions and Feedback for the Forums. Please limit one suggestion per post and we encourage users to vote up suggestions to bring attention to the Forums team.

If you encounter bugs please continue to post bugs in the Forums Issues forum.

If you have additional questions or comments about the redesign, this forum is the place to post.

Again, thank you for your feedback and know that your voice is being heard.

Power View announcements

We are happy to announce that Power View for Office / Office 365 has it's own forum! Power View allows you to analyze and create stunning interactive visualizations that uncover hidden insights to share and collaborate from anywhere, on any device! As you do that - you may have questions / feedback / tips to share. Please utilize this forum to share/gain knowledge and expertise in Power View.

We look forward to hearing how you are using Power View and what challenges and suggestions you may have. The more you share, the more the forum can help you get the most out of Power View now and you can influence the next version!

The Power View Team

App-V General Sequencing announcements

Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. Online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that can help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

When You Ask

1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

- Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

- Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

- Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

4. Keep within the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and gives the people who donate their time, warm and fuzzies.)

When answered

Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Learning Manager Bugs and Feedback announcements

This forum is dedicated only to customers who are using Microsoft E-Learning products. So please post questions only which are related to Microsoft E-Learning Products/issues/information request only.Thanks,Sidharth lala

App-V Server and Management announcements

I am asking for some help here in filling our an anonumous survey about App-V usage.

Traditionally, Microsoft is the only one that has any information regarding App-V usage out there, and basically Microsoft doesn't share that info (unless someone is bragging). So I am trying to gather some information to share with the community using an un-scientific survey. The survey is very short (10 questions), and does not ask you to identify yourself or your company. You can see all of the questions before you even start. It is just some basic questions to "get a feel" for what people are doing.

Let me be clear that this is not a Microsoft santioned survery and they have nothing to do with it. My company is requesting this information and will only use it to provide information back to the technical community. Any information gathered will only be used in aggregate form.

Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. Online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that can help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

When You Ask

1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

- Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

- Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

- Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

4. Keep within the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and gives the people who donate their time, warm and fuzzies.)

When answered

Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

App-V Clients announcements

Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. Online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that can help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

When You Ask

1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

- Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

- Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

- Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

4. Keep within the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and gives the people who donate their time, warm and fuzzies.)

When answered

Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

App-V Documentation announcements

Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. Online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that can help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

When You Ask

1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

- Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

- Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

- Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

4. Keep within the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and gives the people who donate their time, warm and fuzzies.)

When answered

Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

App-V Add-ons announcements

Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. Online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that can help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

When You Ask

1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

- Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

- Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

- Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

4. Keep within the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and gives the people who donate their time, warm and fuzzies.)

When answered

Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

This forum provides you an avenue where you can share knowledge, get questions answered, and learn from others with IT environments similar to yours who use the Resource Kit tools and other Add-ons to get the most out of their AppV deployments.

If you have any suggestions or feedback to the AppV product Add-ons like the resource kit tools, ADM template and so on, please feel free to post in this forum.

This Windows Azure Active Directory (Windows Azure AD) TechNet forum is intended to provide community support for IT Professionals who use the Windows Azure AD Portal or that manage and/or troubleshoot identity-related issues with any of the following Microsoft cloud services:

Office 365

Windows Azure

Windows Intune

Members from the Windows Azure AD team will occasionally monitor this forum to help answer questions. However, participation by identity MVPs and other IT Pro community members is strongly encouraged to provide quick replies to those who need answers.

Looking for Windows Azure AD content but not sure where to start? Check out the new Windows Azure AD Content Map wiki page to find helpful links to Azure AD content that may reside anywhere on the Internet. Please contribute to this page and add links!

Windows 7 Optimized Desktop Deployment Proof of Concept announcements

The Desktop POC Kit v2.0 is a customer focused offering available as free download via the Microsoft download center (http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9728107). The kit enables customers to drive an accelerated desktop deployment by providing a ready to run deployment server with the full suite of Microsoft desktop deployment tools installed and ready to use.

The Desktop POC Kit v2.0 provides enhancements and new products to the POC kit. This version of the POC kit introduces 2 new technical modules. These new modules are “Managing Desktop Policies” which features the Security Compliance Manager tool and product security baselines to drive rapid implementation of Microsoft recommended group policy settings. The other new module is the “Zero Touch Deployment” module which features deployment using the zero touch deployment method using System Center Configuration Manager.

The updated version of the POC also brings additional products to the deployed desktops. The following products are now included in the POC kit:

·Visio Premium 2010

·Forefront

·Project Professional 2010

The kit provides new features increasing the value of the kit. These features include:

·Visio deployment dashboard – single view of all deployment tools and deployment progress

The existing Desktop POC v2 content has been updated to provide increased understanding of the deployment process. This includes improvements in the technical execution guidance providing deeper explanations and providing improved explanations of why the actions are required. The technical tools are also updated to the latest available versions.

The following recaps what is delivered on the POC deployment server:

·Assessment/Compat Tools

oMicrosoft Assessment & Planning Toolkit 5.5

oApplication Compatibility Toolkit 5.6

oOffice Migration Planning Manager 2010 Update 1 Beta

oOffice Environment Assessment Tool 2010 Update 1 Beta

oOffice Compatibility Code Inspector 2010 Update 1 Beta

·Image Build

oSecurity Compliance Manager

oMicrosoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1

oOffice Customization Tool & Config.xml

·Image Deployment

oMicrosoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1

oSystem Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3

·Supporting products

oWindows Server 2008 R2

oSQL Server 2008 R2

oForefront Server

oMicrosoft Office 2010

oVisio Premium 2010

oCustom Visio deployment dashboard

·The Desktop POC provides and is ready to the deploy the following components to connected clients in the POC environment

Now that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 has been released, this forum is now marked read-only. This enables users to search, but not post. If you have any questions, please ask your questions in the other Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 forums.

Windows Server 2008 R2 General - Read Only announcements

On July 1, we will be making this forum read only. After receiving a lot of feedback from the community, it was decided that this forum is a duplication and therefore redundant of the General Forum. So, until July 1, we will start asking customers to redirect their questions to the General Forum. On June 11, CSS engineers will move any new threads to the General Forum.

Please post a reply to this thread if you have any feedback on this decision or the process. You can also email WSSDComm@microsoft.com.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Management - Read Only announcements

On July 1, we will be making this forum read only. After receiving a lot of feedback from the community, it was decided that this forum is a duplication and therefore redundant of the ManagementForum. So, until July 1, we will start asking customers to redirect their questions to the ManagementForum. On June 11, CSS engineers will move any new threads to the ManagementForum.

Please post a reply to this thread if you have any feedback on this decision or the process. You can also email WSSDComm@microsoft.com.

Thanks,

Kevin Beares

Community Lead – Windows Server Division

Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Technologies - Read Only announcements

On July 1, we will be making this forum read only. After receiving a lot of feedback from the community, it was decided that this forum is a duplication and therefore redundant of popular IIS forum http://forums.iis.net/ on the Official Microsoft IIS site. So, until July 1, we will start asking customers to redirect their questions to the http://forums.iis.net/Forum. On June 11, CSS engineers will move any new threads to the http://forums.iis.net/ Forum.

Please post a reply to this thread if you have any feedback on this decision or the process. You can also email WSSDComm@microsoft.com.

Now that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 has been released, this forum is now marked read-only. This enables users to search, but not post. If you have any questions, please ask your questions in the other Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 forums.

Live Meeting - Rollout/Deployment Programs announcements

Welcome to Office Live Meeting forums. This is home to comprehensive set of forums designed to cover various aspects of Microsoft Office Live Meeting. I am starting with few forums but will be adding some more as we go along.

Detailed technical topics should be posted into their respective forums if one is available. Other post can be done in the General section. Please note however, it is important for a topic to be posted to the correct forum because different groups e.g. Support and Product Group teams and MVPs monitor different forums. As moderators review the posts they may also move posts to another topic area per relevance. Our ultimate goal here is to provide a useful response to every question within a reasonable amount of time. We are targeting 2-3 business days, however being new initiative we are ramping up, so please bear with us on delays.

Please also consider the following :

This posting on forums is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

These forums are not an official channel for product support. If you have an urgent or business critical issue, you should contact Microsoft Support Services

While much thought and planning was put into the creation of the forums, there is always room for improvement. I encourage you to please post your ideas and feedback in "General Discussion" forum or email them directly to me Irfan.Soomro@microsoft.com.

Opalis v5 / v6 General announcements

Welcome to the Opalis v5/v6 forum! This forum is designed to help you find answers to questions about the Opalis Integration Server product acquired by Microsoft.

Please note that this forum relates only to versions 5 and 6 of the Opalis product.

Q: Where can I find more information about the products, technical information and troubleshooting?

A: See the "Helpful Links" annoucement within this forum.

Q: Why are some threads locked?

A: When a thread is marked as answered or was not replied to for a long period of time, new posts in that thread may not get recognized and may not get a response. To ensure that new posts get the visbility they need, we lock threads that are marked as answered or where we cannot get a response from the poster within a reasonable period of time, so that any new replies will be done in a new thread and gain immediate attention.

If you have the same issue as mentioned in a previous thread, but the answer provided does not solve your problem, post a new question and refer to the existing thread so we can quickly rule out that issue as the cause of your particular problem. That will speed up the process of getting your problem solved.

Q: How long should I expect to wait for an answer?

A: We typically respond to new questions within 24-48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) depending on when the post occurred. If you need faster response or you have a critical issue, please contact Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com/). You should also visit the support page on the Operations Manager TechCenter.

You can only download and use this software if you are a licensed holder of a qualifying Microsoft System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise (SMSE) and/or Microsoft System Center Server Management Suite Datacenter (SMSD) license. Qualifying SMSE and SMSD licenses include SMSE and SMSD licenses with active Software Assurance coverage on or between December 10, 2009 and April 30, 2011 and SMSE and SMSD licenses acquired through the Core Infrastructure Server Enterprise and Core Infrastructure Server Datacenter under the Enrollment for Core Infrastructure on or between the same dates.

The Opalis Software License Terms presented to you when you unzip the download explain additional requirements for use of the software. Review the licenses terms carefully. By downloading and using the software, you accept the terms. If you do not accept the terms, do not use the software.

Microsoft Office 2010 Volume Activation (to be retired) announcements

This forum is for questions, feedback, or anything else related to volume activation for Microsoft Office 2010. Volume products include the Office 2010 Professional Plus suite, and the volume editions of Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio.

In troubleshooting SBS issues, we will often ask whether you have run the SBS (2003/2008) Best Practices Analyzer (BPA).

BPA examines a server that is running Windows Small Business Server and then presents a list of information and errors, which are sorted by severity, that you should review. The list describes each issue, and it provides a recommendation about what you should do to resolve the issue. The recommendations are developed by the product support organization for Windows SBS.

For any of you struggling with the Web interface, and users who prefer to use an NNTP (newsgroup) reader to participate in thenewsgroups community.

Microsoft has developed a solution called the NNTP Bridgewhich allows a user to connect a variety of supported NNTP readers to theforums they would like to participate in and continue having the NTTP readerfunctionality. You can find instructions on how to download and set up the

Note: The drawback to using these NNTP Bridges are that you are not able to VOTE posts as Helpfull or mark your post as Answered.(We still urge you to reply to if the solution worked for you however, this benefits everyone.)

3. Make sure your posting Subject or "title" summarizes the specific problem you have -- A question with a title of "Urgent! Help needed!" is not as likely to get answered as quickly a question with a title of "How to configure my firewall to open port 80". A more specific, detailed title is far more likely to get a better response than a general one.

4. Post what version of SBS you have. and service Packs, This helps people know where you are at.We can tell what version of Exchange you are using etc and sharepoint. (If different please tell.)(Not all details are necessary, but try to include any relevant information.)

5. Avoid if possible "Me Too" Posts! I'm guilty of this also, but unless it's exactly the same thing and you have some "Added information" you distract from the original post. If you question if your issue is different Please make a new post.

6. Keep with the same thread. do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where I've seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

7. If you do post a question, be courteous to reply even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked.(This helps the whole community when you do this, and makes the people who donate time, warm and fuzzies.)

8. Give details about your problem -- rather than " It won't work, please help!", provide some details like Error Codes, statements like, "Program starts, it gets to a part to install xxx and 2/3rds of the way and then does this.", Links to Screen Shots and images also help. Also search for any error messages in logs etc. Other basic things like it was working before I did this, or it stopped working after I installed this. also helps.

9. Give Positive FeedBack: Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, please reply that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

In addition Please Vote as "helpful" replies that contribute to the answer or lead to resolution of the issue.

Reminder most answers are from volunteers. MVP's do not get paid by Microsoft.Many of them have REAL jobs and answer questions for FREE!

Thank You and I hope you take the pay it forward philosophy that has made this forum a success.

For any of you struggling with the Web interface, and users who prefer to use an NNTP (newsgroup) reader to participate in thenewsgroups community.

Microsoft has developed a solution called the NNTP Bridgewhich allows a user to connect a variety of supported NNTP readers to theforums they would like to participate in and continue having the NTTP readerfunctionality. You can find instructions on how to download and set up the

Note: The drawback to using these NNTP Bridges are that you are not able to VOTE posts as Helpfull or mark your post as Answered.(We still urge you to reply to if the solution worked for you however, this benefits everyone.)

Remember to pay it forward, your knowledge is great for the community :)

Here are a few suggestions that make it sure you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible:

1. Search the Forum for your question -- Quite possibly someone may have already answered your question, and you won't have to spend time waiting for it to be answered again.

2. Make sure your posting Subject or "title" summarizes the specific problem you have -- A question with a title of "Urgent! Help needed!" is not as likely to get answered as quickly a question with a title of "How to configure my firewall to open port 80". A more specific, detailed title is far more likely to get a better response than a general one.

3. Post what service Packs or additional programs you have added, This helps people know where you are at.(Not all details are necessary, but try to include any relevant information, but if you think it may be an AV related issue mention what AV you are using.)

5. Avoid if possible "Me Too" Posts! I'm guilty of this also, but unless it's "Exactly" the same thing and you have some "Added information" you distract from the original post. If you question if your issue is different, Please make a new post.

6. Keep with the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where I've seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

7. If you do post a question, be courteous to reply even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked.(This helps the whole community when you do this, and makes the people who donate time, warm and fuzzies.)

8. Give details about your problem -- rather than " It won't work, please help!", provide some details like Error Codes, statements like, "Program starts, it gets to a part to install xxx and 2/3rds of the way and then does this.", Links to Screen Shots and images also help. Also search for any error messages in logs etc. Other basic things like it was working before I did this, or it stopped working after I installed this. also helps.

9. Give Positive FeedBack: Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, please reply that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

Lastly Please Vote as "helpful" replies that contribute to the answer or lead to resolution of the issue.

Reminder most answers are from volunteers. MVP's do not get paid by Microsoft.Many of them have REAL jobs and answer questions for FREE!

Thank You and I hope you take the pay it forward philosophy that has made this forum a success.

A: When a thread is marked as answered or was not replied to for a long period of time, new posts in that thread may not get recognized and may not get a response. To ensure that new posts get the visbility they need, we lock threads that are marked as answered or where we cannot get a response from the poster within a reasonable period of time, so that any new replies will be done in a new thread and gain immediate attention.

If you have the same issue as mentioned in a previous thread, but the answer provided does not solve your problem, post a new question and refer to the existing thread so we can quickly rule out that issue as the cause of your particular problem. That will speed up the process of getting your problem solved.

Q: How long should I expect to wait for an reply?

A: We typically respond to new questions within 24-48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) depending on when the post occurred. If you need faster response or you have a critical issue, please contact Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com/).

A: When a thread is marked as answered or was not replied to for a long period of time, new posts in that thread may not get recognized and may not get a response. To ensure that new posts get the visbility they need, we lock threads that are marked as answered or where we cannot get a response from the poster within a reasonable period of time, so that any new replies will be done in a new thread and gain immediate attention.

If you have the same issue as mentioned in a previous thread, but the answer provided does not solve your problem, post a new question and refer to the existing thread so we can quickly rule out that issue as the cause of your particular problem. That will speed up the process of getting your problem solved.

Q: How long should I expect to wait for an reply?

A: We typically respond to new questions within 24-48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) depending on when the post occurred. If you need faster response or you have a critical issue, please contact Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com/).

A: When a thread is marked as answered or was not replied to for a long period of time, new posts in that thread may not get recognized and may not get a response. To ensure that new posts get the visbility they need, we lock threads that are marked as answered or where we cannot get a response from the poster within a reasonable period of time, so that any new replies will be done in a new thread and gain immediate attention.

If you have the same issue as mentioned in a previous thread, but the answer provided does not solve your problem, post a new question and refer to the existing thread so we can quickly rule out that issue as the cause of your particular problem. That will speed up the process of getting your problem solved.

Q: How long should I expect to wait for an reply?

A: We typically respond to new questions within 24-48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) depending on when the post occurred. If you need faster response or you have a critical issue, please contact Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com/).

A: When a thread is marked as answered or was not replied to for a long period of time, new posts in that thread may not get recognized and may not get a response. To ensure that new posts get the visbility they need, we lock threads that are marked as answered or where we cannot get a response from the poster within a reasonable period of time, so that any new replies will be done in a new thread and gain immediate attention.

If you have the same issue as mentioned in a previous thread, but the answer provided does not solve your problem, post a new question and refer to the existing thread so we can quickly rule out that issue as the cause of your particular problem. That will speed up the process of getting your problem solved.

Q: How long should I expect to wait for an reply?

A: We typically respond to new questions within 24-48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) depending on when the post occurred. If you need faster response or you have a critical issue, please contact Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com/).

Cloud Computing: Private Cloud announcements

At the Private Cloud Solution Hub you can find the latest information on Private Cloud and Private Cloud architecture. At the Private Cloud Solution Hub you'll find the following:

Featured articles at the top of the page - we'll rotate articles in and out and provide you a fresh featured article once a week

The Library! The library is organized under a collection of tabs. At this time most of the content is focused on Private Cloud architecture. As we get closer to the release of Windows 8 and System Center 2012 wave of products, we'll start to tie together the entire story from business perspective, to architecture, to design and then to deployment - keep a close eye on the library as we'll continue to improve it on a monthly basis

The Private Cloud Community section - here you'll find a number of community resources you can use to connect with Microsoft and other people in the community to share you ideas and ask questions about Private Cloud

The Private Cloud Blog Roll - here's your "one stop shop" for a list of blogs for products and technologies that power the Microsoft Private Cloud

Welcome Private Cloud community! This is the Private Cloud computing forum on the TechNet forums.

The purpose of this forum is to provide a place where IT Architects and IT Pros can talk about issues related to Private Cloud. The goal is to enable the Private Cloud community to share ideas, architectures, plans, lessons learned, and even opinions about Private Cloud. While you are welcome to focus on the Microsoft Private Cloud solutions, the discussion does not need to be limited to the Microsoft Private Cloud. For example, there are many cross-cutting issues in Private Cloud, such as security and identity management.

If you have questions about Private Cloud, this is the place to ask! However, if you have specific questions about products or technologies that participate in your Private Cloud solutions, the best place to get those answers will be in the forums for that particular product or technology.

I'm looking forward to many interesting discussions and lessons to be learned. We just at the beginning of the cloud movement - get in on the first floor and participate in the Private Cloud community today!

Cloud Computing: Software as a Service announcements

Welcome Cloud community! This is the Software as a Service (SaaS) forum on the TechNet forums.

The purpose of this forum is to provide a place where IT Architects and IT Pros can talk about issues related to SaaS. The goal is to enable the Cloud community to share ideas, architectures, plans, lessons learned, and even opinions about SaaS. While you are welcome to focus on the Microsoft SaaS solutions, the discussion does not need to be limited to Microsoft SaaS offerings. For example, there are many cross-cutting issues in SaaS, such as security and identity management.

If you have questions about SaaS, this is the place to ask! However, if you have specific questions about products or technologies that participate in a specific SaaS solution, the best place to get those answers will be in the forums for that particular product or technology.

I'm looking forward to many interesting discussions and lessons to be learned. We just at the beginning of the cloud movement - get in on the ground floor and participate in the Private Cloud community today!

Cloud Computing: Infrastructure as a Service announcements

Welcome Cloud community! This is the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) forum on the TechNet forums.

The purpose of this forum is to provide a place where IT Architects and IT Pros can talk about issues related to IaaS. The goal is to enable the Cloud community to share ideas, architectures, plans, lessons learned, and even opinions about IaaS. While you are welcome to focus on the Microsoft IaaS solutions, the discussion does not need to be limited to Microsoft IaaS offerings. For example, there are many cross-cutting issues in IaaS, such as security and identity management.

If you have questions about IaaS, this is the place to ask! However, if you have specific questions about products or technologies that participate in a specific IaaS solution, the best place to get those answers will be in the forums for that particular product or technology.

I'm looking forward to many interesting discussions and lessons to be learned. We just at the beginning of the cloud movement - get in on the ground floor and participate in the Private Cloud community today!

Cloud Computing: Platform as a Service announcements

Welcome Cloud community! This is the Platform as a Service (PaaS) forum on the TechNet forums.

The purpose of this forum is to provide a place where IT Architects and IT Pros can talk about issues related to PaaS. The goal is to enable the Cloud community to share ideas, architectures, plans, lessons learned, and even opinions about PaaS. While you are welcome to focus on the Microsoft PaaS solutions, the discussion does not need to be limited to Microsoft PaaS offerings. For example, there are many cross-cutting issues in PaaS, such as security and identity management.

If you have questions about PaaS, this is the place to ask! However, if you have specific questions about products or technologies that participate in a specific PaaS solution, the best place to get those answers will be in the forums for that particular product or technology.

I'm looking forward to many interesting discussions and lessons to be learned. We just at the beginning of the cloud movement - get in on the ground floor and participate in the Private Cloud community today!

HealthVault User announcements

If you are developing or deploying an application for HealthVault or at the point where you are ready to have your application approved for "Go Live", please visit our HealthVault Developer forum to ask your questions or make your requests.

Thank you.

Project Server General Questions and Answers announcements

If you want to directly tell the product team, what features, changes or enhancements you want to see in the Project family of products (Project Desktop client, Project Server or Project Online), please submit your ideas (or vote for existing ones) at the Project UserVoice channel.

If you want to directly tell the product team, what features, changes or enhancements you want to see in the Project family of products (Project Desktop client, Project Server or Project Online), please submit your ideas (or vote for existing ones) at the Project UserVoice channel.

Project Customization and Programming announcements

If you want to directly tell the product team, what features, changes or enhancements you want to see in the Project family of products (Project Desktop client, Project Server or Project Online), please submit your ideas (or vote for existing ones) at the Project UserVoice channel.

Updated VBA Help for local use. Objects such as Chart, Report, Series, and Shape now show correct members tables, properties, and methods topics.

Basic reference topics for the JavaScript client-side object model (JSOM), which includes REST endpoints and HTTP request syntax. You can use the JSOM for development of Project Online solutions for cross-browser web apps and for non-Windows platforms.

DLLs and a license for redistribution of the Project Server CSOM assemblies, JavaScript files for the CSOM, the Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Library assembly, and the Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Events.Receivers library for on-premises development.Notes: 1. The REDIST.zip file that is attached to the Project_Programmability blog post contains the RTM build 15.0.4420.1017 of the Project Server assemblies for redistribution, including the Microsoft.Office.Project.Schema.dll assembly, for developing event handlers. 2. Project CSOM solutions also require the redistributable DLLs for the SharePoint 2013 CSOM, which are at SharePoint Server 2013 Client Components SDK.

Updated Intellisense files for the PSI and CSOM, source code for creating a PSI proxy assembly, and instructions on how to update the PSI proxy files.

XML schemas for the Project client, AppProvisioning, and the Statusing PSI.

Retired: Exchange Software Updates announcements

Hello and welcome to the discussion forum for software updates to Exchange Server 2007!

Exchange Server 2007 is serviced differently from earlier versions of Exchange by a system of cumulative Update Rollups released approximately every eight weeks.

This forum provides you an opportunity to join the community of Exchange Server 2007 customers where you can share knowledge, best practices and learn from others with IT environments similar to yours on how to keep the environment up-to-date with the new servicing method.

Retired: Remote Connectivity Analyzer announcements

Welcome to the Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer Forum. This forum provides a place for you to post questions or issues you are having with the Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer (https://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com). We announced this new tool in March on the Exchange Team blog here. Over the last couple of months we’ve received some very positive feedback… thank you for this. We wanted to create a dedicated place where we can also announce new features and/or comment about known issues regarding the tool. We will be adding a link to this forum on the footer of each page of the website during our next refresh (currently scheduled for Sept).

Learning Content Development System (LCDS) - Bugs and Feedback announcements

Welcome to the forum dedicated to the LCDS tool from Microsoft Learning. This is the same tool we use internally to create our award-winning e-Learning courses. As we have not released these types of tools before we would appreciate hearing from you any issues you face or feedback on how to improve it. This free tool can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/learning/tools/lcds/.

As a member of this forum, you are part of a worldwide community that includes experienced subject matter experts as well as interested starters that share one common goal – to help each other using the capabilities of Microsoft’s identity management solution in the best possible manner.

To get the most out of your participation, you might want to consider following the following guidelines:

·Start a new thread

·Be specific

·Mark questions as answered

·Select helpful posts

·Provide detailed feedback

Start a new thread

Don’t be afraid to start a new thread if you think you have a related problem to a post but aren’t sure. Don’t let your question get lost if someone else’s question got answered but yours didn’t, and people may have stopped responding to the thread.

Be specific

Your fellow forum members want to help you! The more details you provide about your issue, the higher are the chances for everybody to assist you effectively. While precision is often a good idea, there are times where it might be advisable to add more details than initially considered to be necessary. This is especially the case, when the information you provide is read by thousands of folks that are distributed across the world, which involves a translation into various different languages. To avoid misinterpretations of your message and to leverage the available knowledge in a way that suits your needs, you should determine whether your text contains really all necessary details before posting it. Providing a bit too much information in this environment is better than expecting your fellow forum members to make the right assumptions about your intention.

Mark questions as answered

Your fellow forum members care about your issue! Please treat the willingness to support you with the appropriate courtesy and let others know when your issue has been sufficiently addressed by marking your posting as answered if this is the case. That way, you help create an environment where people mark the answers to their questions, and when you’re looking to see if someone has already answered some question you have, you will benefit by seeing their answer first. You won’t even have to ask.

Select helpful topics

Enable your fellow forum members to help you effectively in the future! Your feedback is an elementary component of making a forum successful. If you run into a post that was helpful to you, please indicate this by selecting it as helpful. This enables everybody to learn how information should be presented to address an issue. We all learn not only from answers but also from the way answers are packaged.

Provide detailed feedback

While marking postings as answered and selecting posts as helpful is highly appreciated, please consider going the extra mile and provide some more details if you have found useful information. This helps everybody to do an even better job assisting you in the future.

Microsoft.com Engineering Operations announcements

We are the Microsoft.com Engineering Operations (MSCOM Ops) team, which is made up of systems engineers who design, architect, deploy, manage, and sustain highly available, scalable, and secure on-line infrastructures based on Internet Information Services (IIS), SQL Server, and other Microsoft technologies. The major properties supported are www.microsoft.com, Microsoft® Update, Microsoft Download Center, MSDN® and TechNet.

We want to engage in real-world engineering discussions and share our experiences that have resulted from running some of the largest and most heavily visited sites on the Internet.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview and RTM - General announcements

After Windows Server 2012 R2 is released on October 17, this forum will be archived. The URL will stay the same in case you have it bookmarked, but it will be moved to the Archived category. It will be made read-only so you can still search for questions/answers, but not create new threads or posts. Instead, please contribute to the community by asking and answering Windows Server 2012 R2questions in the applicable forum in Windows Server forums. Please respond to this thread if you have any questions about this.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview and RTM - Setup announcements

After Windows Server 2012 R2 is released on October 17, this forum will be archived. The URL will stay the same in case you have it bookmarked, but it will be moved to the Archived category. It will be made read-only so you can still search for questions/answers, but not create new threads or posts. Instead, please contribute to the community by asking and answering Windows Server 2012 R2questions in the applicable forum in Windows Server forums. Please respond to this thread if you have any questions about this.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials Preview and RTM announcements

After Windows Server 2012 R2 is released on October 17, this forum will be archived. The URL will stay the same in case you have it bookmarked, but it will be moved to the Archived category. It will be made read-only so you can still search for questions/answers, but not create new threads or posts. Instead, please contribute to the community by asking and answering Windows Server 2012 R2questions in the applicable forum in Windows Server forums. Please respond to this thread if you have any questions about this.

Power Pivot announcements

The PowerPivot team is pleased to report that the fix for the November CTP expiration issue has been released. We know many of you have been eagerly awaiting this fix since last week when the PowerPivot for Excel add-in expired. We do sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you.

We have released a new version of the November CTP for the PowerPivot for Excel add-in. This new version is functionally identical to the old one except that it extends the expiration date to end of the year. You can download it from the same locations as in the past:

Please note that the new version will take some time to replicate across all servers in the Microsoft download center. If you download it from the above links and still get the expiration error message, then try again periodically. It might also help to clear any browser/download caches on your computer.

If you are running the November 2009 CTP version of the PowerPivot for Excel 2010 add-in, your add-in expired on April 1st. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

The SQL Server team will re-release the November 2009 CTP version of the PowerPivot for Excel 2010 add-in with an extended expiration date very soon. We will post an availability announcement with the download location and installation instructions on the PowerPivot blogs and forums as soon as possible.

If PowerPivot for Excel 2010, Excel 2010, SharePoint 2010, or the Reporting Services Addin for SharePoint 2010 are beta versions, PowerPivot and its related functionality will not work with the Released versions of these components.

More Information

=============================

The beta versions of the components listed above are not compatible with the released versions of these components. If the beta versions of the components are installed, they will not function with the released versions. For example, if you have a beta version of the PowerPivot download installed and upgrade to the released version of Excel 2010, the PowerPivot addin will not be available in Excel.

The solution is to upgrade the beta components to their released versions when they become available.

Welcome to the Rights Management Services discussion forum. Here you can discuss all matters relating to Windows Rights Management Services (RMS on Windows Server 2003) and Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) in Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012. We’re providing this forum to give you a place to post questions you might have about RMS, to give you the opportunity to share your valuable experience with others, and to receive your feedback about RMS.

Because this forum is specifically focused on Rights Management Services in Windows Server, posts that are about other issues will be referred to more appropriate forums and possibly removed altogether. If you’re not sure if this is the right forum for your question, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx to see if there’s a forum that more closely matches your needs.

Thanks!

Mobile Device Management announcements

Welcome to the Windows Phone Mobile Device Management forum. Here you can ask questions and start discussions related to managing Windows Phone 8 devices with either an MDM provider or using Exchange ActiveSync.

Configuration Manager (Current Branch) – General announcements

We are happy to announce that if you want to give feedback about
issues/bugs with System Center Configuration Manager, you can now file them
using Windows Feedback hub, an app built-in to all Windows 10 systems.

Here's how to file ConfigMgr bugs using Feedback Hub

1. On your start menu, find Feedback
Hub

2. Click the feedback icon on the left, and then click +Add new feedback

3. For the category, select Enterprise
Management, and for the subcategory, pick the best match for your issue.

If you were used to filing bugs on connect.microsoft.com, that
site has been deprecated. Unfortunately, due to the systems we use, we
were not able to preserve the customer-side experience you had in Connect and
replicate that in any other tool. Please be assured that your bugs still exists
in our bug database, even though you no longer have visibility to their status.
When you file new bugs in Feedback Hub, the product team has the option to
provide comments and status updates, but may not reply to every feedback
item.

Just posted and available now is a blog from the Configuration Manager team. These posts will come directly from the product group, beginning with the first one - an interview with the man in charge of the team, Ken Pan!

TechNet Events announcements

Please note, this forum is for questions directly related to TechNet events LAB content (currently Azure and Windows 10) and from United States TechNet Events Attendees. It is only moderated by TechNet event speakers in the US so ONLY English questions directly related to events will be answered. Please provide the page number and line number of the lab manual where your question applies.

Just seconds ago we release Microsoft R Open 3.5.2! Get it here: https://mran.microsoft.com/download. Since there have been numerous requests for this release on these forums I wanted to share this news with you as soon as possible.